SONIC WIRES
with Bryce Dessner & David Chalmin
Formed in 2018, the Quartet fuses decades of musical mastery of classical and contemporary forms, featuring luminaries the Katia and Marielle Labèque on dueling pianos along with acclaimed composer-guitarists Bryce Dessner (The National) and David Chalmin (innocence, la terre invisible) performing radical new commissions from visionary composers and pivotal contemporary works of the last half century. They presented their first project in 2019 at Paris Philharmonie with guest Thom Yorke followed by a tour in Lyon, London and Hamburg Elb Philharmonie. The second half of this project was dedicated to the world premiere of Thom Yorke ’s composition « don’t fear the light » and a new song « gawpers ». Those pieces were Yorke’s first composition for Katia & Marielle and classical concerts halls .
They will perform next november 2024 in Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Berlin Philharmonie, Hamburg Elb Philharmonie and Koln Philharmonie.
Bryce, Marielle, Katia & David
“They are immersing themselves in an increasingly youthful repertoire. The National’s Bryce Dessner (who recently wrote an entire album of music for them) and David Chalmin sit either side of the Labèques,. the Labèques provide atmospheric flourishes. It’s the kind of funereal meditation that would have fitted nicely on A Moon Shaped Pool.”
—THE GUARDIAN
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and The National’s Bryce Dessner are fans of Katia and Marielle Labèque
The San Diego Tribune
BY BETH WOOD
APRIL 16, 2023
Read full Article
“electrifying pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque. played a suite of old and new compositions. Bryce Dessner’s “Haven,” jumpy and shrill, , with guitars that jittered up and down arpeggios, and pianos that promised redemption….The sisters played with monstrous energy...”
—PITCHFORK
Paris Philharmonie with guest Thom Yorke
2019
“the quartet settled into a surprisingly accessible performance of light and shade, during which the pair playing propulsive chords on their grand pianos tended to out-rock the scratchy, sinuous guitars.”
—EVENING STANDARD
PHOTOS
© Melanie Bordas
© Sac Hynmital
Dates
23.04.23
The Kitchen Benefit @ The Town Hall, New York
25.04.23
Texas Performing Arts, Austin
26.04.23
ArtPower, San Diego
27.04.23
Stanford Live @ Bing Hall, Stanford
28.04.23
Segerstrom Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa
30.04.23
CAP-UCLA @ Royce Hall, Los Angeles
03.05.23
TO LIVE, Toronto, Canada
05.05.23
Schwarzman Center, Yale University, New Haven
Bryce Dessner
In addition to his role as one of eight San Francisco Symphony Collaborative Partners, Bryce Dessner is currently Artist-in-Residence at London’s Southbank Centre and with Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. Major works include Concerto for Two Pianos premiered by Katia & Marielle Labèque, London Philharmonic Orchestra and recorded for Deutsche Grammophon; Violin Concerto premiered and performed internationally by Pekka Kuusisto, Trombone Concerto for Jorgen van Rijen commissioned by Dallas Symphony and l’Orchestre National d’Île de France; Voy a Dormir for mezzo soprano Kelley O’Connor and Orchestra of Saint Luke’s and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; Skrik Trio for Steve Reich and Carnegie Hall; the ballet No Tomorrow co-written with Ragnar Kjartansson; Wires for Ensemble Intercontemporain; The Forest for large cello ensemble, Gautier Capuçon and Fondation Louis Vuitton; and Triptych (Eyes for One on Another), a major theatre piece integrating the photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe and premiered by Los Angeles Philharmonic. Dessner also scored the music - involving full orchestra and a 200-member choir - for the Louis Vuitton show at the Louvre in Paris as part of Paris Fashion Week 2020.
Dessner’s recordings include El Chan; St. Carolyn by the Sea (both Deutsche Grammophon); Aheym, commissioned by Kronos Quartet; Tenebre, an album of his works for string orchestra recorded by Germany’s Ensemble Resonanz and which won a 2019 Opus Klassik award and a Diapason d’Or; When we are inhuman with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Eighth Blackbird (2019) and Impermanence (2021) with the Australian String Quartet. Dessner’s other film score credits include The Two Popes, which won Discovery of the Year at the World Soundtrack awards; C’mon C’mon (2021) directed by Mike Mills and Cyrano (2021), the major musical by Joe Wright.
Also active as a curator, Dessner is regularly requested to program festivals and residencies around the world, at venues such as at the Barbican, Philharmonie de Paris, and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. He co-founded and curates the festivals MusicNOW in Cincinnati, HAVEN in Copenhagen, Sounds from a Safe Harbour and PEOPLE.
David Chalmin
Singer, musician, composer, producer and sound engineer, his various collaborations extend from classical music to avant-garde.
“David Chalmin’s music has the clarity, confidence, and self-evidence of works that have matured over time, reflecting experience that is unencumbered by outside in- fluences and perspectives... a glowing melody and haunting electronic waves...”
—Vincent Théval (about Innocence)
Minimalist Dream House Quartet
Katia & Marielle Labèque, Bryce Dessner, David Chalmin
Monk: Ellis Island
Chalmin: Eclipse
Elbphilharmonie | Thom Yorke, Katia & Marielle Labèque, Bryce Dessner und David Chalmin
Minimalist Dream House. David Chalmin I Thom Yorke I Concert at la Philharmonie, Paris
“les sœurs basques comptent parmi les plus grandes pianistes actuelles, aussi grandioses dans le répertoire classique qu’ouvertes aux musiques actuelles. Leur album Minimalist Dream House rendait aussi bien hommage aux pionniers de la musique minimaliste (Philip Glass, Terry Riley) qu’à leurs héritiers (Radiohead, Aphex Twin).On retiendra la création mondiale de Haven de Dessner, plus classique, et les Particules n°5 et 6 de Chalmin, …...un moment rare, précieux, où se mêlent des horizons à la fois savants et chaleureux, cérébraux et gracieux.”
—GRAZIA